Strap-buckle



\ (No Model.) I 1 I 0'. H. FRI-1BR.

STRAP BUCKLE. No. 369,705. Patented Sept. 13, 1887.

UNTTED STATES PATENT @EETQE.

CHARLES HENRY FREER, OF BLUE EARTH CITY, *MINNESOTA.

STRAP-BUCKLE.

ESPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369.705, datedSeptember 13. 1837- Application filed February 536, 1887.

claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide a buckle which may be moreeasily applied to and removed from the strapsof the harness than theordinary buckle.

In put-ting harness together it is often necessary to apply a buckle tothe center of a long strap, and in order to do so it is necessary to'pass one-half of the length of the said strap through the said buckle,and to reverse the operation in removing the buckle. This inconvenienceis particularly noticeable in adusting crotchlines, martingales,returnstraps, 8m; and it is myobject to provide means to obviate thisinconvenience.

In. the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective of a strapprovided with my improved buckle. Fig. 2 is a central transverse sectionthereof through the tongue'bar. Fig. 3 1s a perspective view of thebuckle with the parts detached. Fig. 4is a side elevation of the bucklewith the long strap looped and passed into buckle and tongue-bar on theend of short strap about to be inserted. Fig. 5 is a sim1lar view withthe tongue-bar inserted, turned, and about to be drawn down into placein the body of the buckle. Fig.6 is a detail view of the body of thebuckle.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters denote correspondingparts in all the figures, A designates the body or frame of the buckle,comprising the ends a and the sides a, cast integrally, either one orboth of said ends having a small groove, A, therein to receive the endof the tongue when the buckle is properly fixed on a strap. B representsvertical grooves or slots formed 111 the inner sides of the sides a ofthe buckleframe, which grooves are open at the upper end and extend onlypartly down the depth of Serial No. 229,024. (No model.)

the buckle, thus bei ng closed at the lower ends. In the said grooves orslots are journaled the ends of the tonguebar O, which is formedintegrally with the tongue D and turns therewith.

It will be seen that the shape of the buckle is very similar to thosenow in general use, the ends of the tongue D resting in the shallowgroove A in the end of the buckle-frame. the difference being that thetongue and tongue-bar are formed integrally, and they are movable. (Itwill be remembered that the t0ngue-bar in the old forms of buckles aresecured rigidly in the frame, and the tongue is pivoted thereon orformed with a loop in the rear end to surround the said tongue-bar andturn thereon.)

To remove the strap from the buckle, push the loop of the long strap upthrough the frame of the buckle between the ends thereof, thereby"withdrawing the tongue D from the perforations in said strap, raise thetongue-bar, to

which the end of the short strap is attached, by pressing upwardly uponthe said sh ort strap until the ends of said bar are free from thegrooves 13, turn said tongue-bar to prevent the it is only necessary toexactly reverse the op eration: Pass a loop formed in any part of thestrap up through the buckle-frame, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, insertthe tongue-bar in a position longitudinally with the length of the frameby means of the short strap, turn said tongue-bar into its propertransverse position, and draw it down to cause the ends thereofto engagein the slots or grooves 13, and the buckle is ready for use.

i It is obviously a great saving of time to obviate the necessity ofpassing the long strap through the buckle over the stationary tonguebar, especially as it sometimes happens that,

in order to place a buckle at the proper intermediate point of thelength of a long strap, it is necessary with the old forms of buckles todetach several other previously-secured buckles therefrom; but with myimproved buckle a double driving rein or line can be changed to a singleline, or vice versa, without altering in any manner the other parts ofthe lines or harness, and it can also be accomplished in a moment, thustaking very much less time than the said old forms to attach.

A further advantage of my buckle lies in the fact that the tongue may bereversed in the frame-that is, turned end for end-thus causing thetongue to close down on the end piece of the frame at the opposite endof the said frame, and in effect reversing the buckle without taking thebuckle-frame from the strap. (This of itself is a great advantage.)Also, the facility with which the buckle may be removed from and appliedto the strap makesit of advantage to remove said buckles while oiling orcleaning the harness, thus saving them from being oiled or blackened.Further, the buckle may be made more cheaply than the ordinary buckle inwhich the tongue-bar is rigidin the frame, for the reason that the saidframe must be cast and the bar and tongue each applied and fixed to saidframe after the casting, thus causing a double handling of the frame,While with my buckle, the frame and the tongue-bar and tongue are eachcast in separate parts andfinished, and there is no attachment of theparts thereafter. This saving of a second handling is a considerablesaving of time and therefore expense in the manufacture of the buckles,and is a great point of advantage in my improved buckle.

My reason for forming the tongue integrally with the bar, as will bereadily seen, is that there is no necessity for the tongue to be movableon the saidbar, as it is journaled in thegrooves in the frame andtherefore turns freely. Thus greater simplicity is gained by castingsaid parts integrally; but further than this, by forming the said tongueand bar as described, there will be less possibility of the tonguebecoming loose in the buckle and rendering it worthless, and there is nochance for tails without departing from the spirit and in-.

tent oftheinvention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim,and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A buckle having a frame, A, constructed substantially as described,combined with the detachable tongue D, adapted to be reversed to operatethe buckle in either direction, substantially as described.

2. A bucklehaving the frame provided with the slots B, combined with thetongue D and tongue-bar O, the ends of which are adapted to be receivedin the said slots, substantially as described.

3. A buckle having the frame A, provided with the vertical slots on thesides, combined with the tongue-bar O,journaled at the ends in saidslots, and the tongue D,formed integrally with the said bar,substantially as described.

4. A buckle having the frame A, provided with the vertical slots Bin thesides, said slots being open at the upper ends and closed atthe lowerends, combined with the tonguebar to bejournaled at the ends in the saidslots and the tongue formed integrally with the said bar, substantiallyas described, for the, purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES HENRY FREER,

Witnesses:

FRED H. SMITH, H. J. NEAL,

